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Site Design For EV Charging Stations PDF
Site Design For EV Charging Stations PDF
This material is based upon work supported by the Department of Energy under Award Number
#DE-EE0005586.
NOTICE
This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States
Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their
employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or
responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus,
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recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. The
views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the
United States Government or any agency thereof.
This report was prepared by Sustainable Transportation Strategies in the course of performing
work contracted for and sponsored by the New York State Energy Research and Development
Authority (hereafter NYSERDA). The opinions expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect
those of NYSERDA or the State of New York, and reference to any specific product, service,
process, or method does not constitute an implied or expressed recommendation or
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will not infringe privately owned rights and will assume no liability for any loss, injury, or damage
resulting from, or occurring in connection with, the use of information contained, described,
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i
SITE DESIGN FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLE
CHARGING STATIONS
VERSION 1.0
JULY 2012
This report was made possible through the support of New York State
Energy Research and Development Authority
Thanks to the Transportation and Climate Initiative and all 16 of its Clean Cities Coalition
partners for providing best practices from the Northeast for this report. Thanks also to the
numerous individuals who improved the quality of this document through peer review.
Sustainable Transportation Strategies prepared this report to highlight best practices for
designing electric vehicle (EV) charging stations – those parking spaces where EV
supply equipment will be used to charge vehicles. Now that communities are ramping
up with installations of EV supply equipment, designers are encountering a host of
design issues that are generating creative solutions – and mistakes.
This report is intended to be used by persons who are responsible for safe and
convenient design of EV charging stations. Many topics covered by this report are
beyond the professional responsibility of
electrical contractors. The report should be used
Now that communities are alongside other resources, including those that
ramping up with installations
cover electrical design standards for installation
of EV supply equipment,
of EV supply equipment.
designers are encountering a
host of design issues that are Site Design for Electric Vehicle Charging
generating creative solutions Stations addresses the kind of equipment
– and mistakes. available and how parking facility design offers
both opportunities and challenges for charging
station installations. Several design scenarios are
illustrated.
In the near term, EVs will use the following three categories of EV supply equipment
classified according to power levels and circuit requirements:
Both Level 1 and Level 2 EV supply equipment are sometimes called EV chargers – but
technically speaking, they are not. Their main purpose is to deliver power to a vehicle’s
charging module, or charger. Electric cars all have charging modules on board that
convert the EV supply equipment’s AC power to DC and deliver it to the battery
according to manufacturer-specified rates (typically expressed as kilowatts). In
contrast, a DC fast charger bypasses a vehicle’s on-board charger to directly deliver
power to the vehicle’s battery.
Level 1 charging is less useful for completely recharging large battery packs found in
trucks and many electric cars. Fully depleted, a 24-kilowatt-hour battery could require
Various designs of Level 2 EV supply equipment can attach to ground surfaces, walls,
posts, poles, and ceilings.
1
Electric Transportation Engineering Corporation. (2010, April). Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Deployment Guidelines
for the Oregon I-5 Metro Areas of Portland, Salem, Corvallis and Eugene.
2
This assumes the battery is connected to a charging module using a 6.5-kilowatt rate.
3 Ponticel, Patrick. (2012, May). “J1772 ‘combo connector’ shown at the 2012 Electric Vehicle Symposium.” Prepared for SAE
International. Found at: www.ev.sae.org.
EV charging introduces equipment and a new set of activities into parking facilities.
Safe and convenient operation of the EV supply equipment requires sufficient space.
Designing EV charging stations also requires consideration of the parking facility design
and the patterns of how it is being used. Adequate functioning of the parking area itself
should not be compromised by poor EV charging station design.
Most public charging station installations are of Level 2 EV supply equipment. People
who operate Level 2 EV supply equipment will normally plug in at places where they
have scheduled activities. During charging, the
vehicles will be unattended for several hours or
A person needs room to
overnight.
stand in front of the EV supply
equipment and operate it – Level 1 charging, which requires more time,
about a 3-foot by 3-foot follows this same pattern of parking and leaving
space. the vehicle. Use of DC fast chargers will differ.
This high-powered equipment is designed for
commercial and other public settings.
Charging station designers usually site EV supply equipment near the front of the
vehicle so that the cable
can reach charging inlets
where they are located at
the front and sides of
vehicles. For these types of
installations, a person needs
room to stand in front of the
EV supply equipment and
operate it – about a 3-foot
by 3-foot space. Public
parking design generally
does not include room for
activities at the front of the
vehicle. Retrofitting existing
spaces with EV supply
equipment requires finding Striped pavement designates space to operate EV supply equipment
parking stalls that are
already long or have space in front that can be adapted for EV charging.
4Mayfield, David. (2012, February). EV Charging for Persons with Disabilities. Found at:
http://www.sustainabletransportationstrategies.com
Municipally owned public parking often serves entire neighborhoods. This differs from
parking that serves specific destinations like retail entrances, where property owners
orient customers towards specific entrances. Routes from parking at multi-unit dwellings
are designed in both manners and can be either diffuse or focused to specific building
entrances. Where parking is focused towards specific destinations, parking near the
destination entrance is the most frequented and popular. Charging station designers
need to consider whether to avoid or use the most frequented parking spaces.
The wider and/or longer parking spaces in a parking facility are usually best for installing
EV charging stations. Extra space is needed to accommodate the new equipment and
its operation. Finding adequate space plus
factors such as power availability, ADA
accessibility, and convenience helps identify
The wider and/or longer potential EV charging sites.5 As with all
parking spaces in a parking publicly available parking facilities, the first EV
facility are usually best for charging station should be ADA-accessible
installing EV charging and similarly located as the site’s designated
stations. accessible parking: near a building entrance
with an accessible pathway. Obstacles such
as curbs will affect the ability to reach
operable parts of the EV supply equipment
from a wheel chair. To make the site suitable
for persons with disabilities, the ground surface should be firm, level (with a slope no
more than 2 percent in any direction) and smooth (obstacles less than ¼ inch).6
5 Mayfield, David. (2012, April). Siting EV Charging Stations. Found at: http://www.sustainabletransportationstrategies.com
6
Mayfield, David. (2012, February). EV Charging for Persons with Disabilities. Found at:
http://www.sustainabletransportationstrategies.com
Parking protected by painted stripes Bike lane buffers EV charging from traffic
Bike lanes can buffer on-street charging stations from traffic lanes. However, a cable
lying on the ground can contribute risk to passing bicycles and pedestrians. EV supply
equipment with cable management is recommended to reduce risk in this situation.
On-street EV charging can be safely conducted where the parking is inset into a
curbed area. In this example, additional pavement striping helps separate the vehicle
from the traveled way.
Parking facilities use barriers such as curbs, wheel stops, railing, wall-mounted barriers,
and bollards to protect property and equipment. These barriers also help define the
separation between parking and other uses such as landscaping and pedestrian
spaces.
Wheel stops are widely used barriers, especially along parking lot perimeters. Some EV
charging stations introduce wheel stops to a parking facility to protect the EV supply
equipment. They are economical to install but have disadvantages such as being a
potential tripping hazard and adding to maintenance cost by making sweeping or
snow removal more difficult.
During charging station installation, existing wheel stops may need to be removed or
replaced by shorter wheel stops to create adequate access for persons using wheel
chairs or walkers.
7 Luettgen, Kim. (2012, June). Personal Communication. City of Bellevue Facilities Operations Specialist.
Landscaping adjacent to
surface parking offers places
to install EV supply equipment
without disrupting adjacent
sidewalks and pavement.
However an assessment
should be conducted to
select a site where roots vital EV supply equipment can reach two parking stalls (Photo courtesy of Capital
to mature trees and bushes District Transportation Committee)
will not be damaged.
Where perpendicular parking stalls face into landscaping, some local development
and zoning codes
allow the first 2-3 feet
beyond a continuous
curb to be
considered part of
the parking space. In
these cases, the
appropriate setback
for EV supply
equipment needs to
be modified. Bollards
or wheel stops may
be needed to protect
the EV supply
equipment from
encroaching vehicles.
EV supply equipment placed in landscaping at Durham NC’s south regional library
(Photo courtesy of Robert Shuler, North Carolina Department of Insurance).
Local code typically specifies acceptable widths for design of parking aisles. They are
sized to create a safe space for drivers to safely back out of the stalls and provide
adequate distance behind parked vehicles to reduce conflicts with traveling vehicles.
Parking aisles also serve as informal pathways for pedestrians and for loading and
unloading activities. For this reason, factors such as site distance and aisle width need
to be checked as part of designing EV charging stations.
Standard design widths for parking aisles are greatest where the parking angle is
90 degrees and traffic flows in both directions. Parking aisle width is narrowest for
parking at acute angles (30 degrees, for example) where traffic is flowing in only one
direction.
The best facility designs separate pedestrian activities from traffic to minimize conflict
points and increase safety. Existing sidewalks, paths, and informal walking routes should
be identified for protection prior to designing a charging station.
Some charging station installations site EV supply equipment and signs on an existing
sidewalk. This can only be safely accomplished if the sidewalk is wide enough to
accommodate the equipment and safe pedestrian clearance. The equipment, the
attached cables, and the signs all need to be placed so that they are not unsafe
obstacles or tripping hazards. Designs should never have cables cross designated
walkways. Consideration should be given to tripping hazards for pedestrians moving
from adjacent parking to the sidewalk.
Adequate sidewalk width should be maintained for passing pedestrians and wheel
chairs. Federal guidelines specify that a minimum clear width for a wheelchair is
36 inches, pinching down where necessary to 32 inches for distances of less than
24 inches. Applicable building codes address sidewalk width standards that can be
stricter than this federal rule.
The best parking facility designs separate pedestrian routes from traffic
….)
EV supply equipment oriented so that buffer between parking stalls protects both the post and the equipment
ELECTRIC INFRASTRUCTURE
Choices for connecting to electric power include opening a new service with the utility
(including a new meter) or using an existing meter with a new or existing electrical
panel. If a new electrical panel is not already being planned as part of the EV charging
station installation, existing infrastructure will need an electrical load study to determine
if it has adequate capacity for the EV supply equipment. A professional licensed
electrician working with the local utility can evaluate the service load and adequacy of
existing infrastructure to support the EV charging station installation. Upgrades could
require a new electrical panel or transformer.
Steps can be taken to minimize the need for signal repeaters, including:
LIGHTING
101 foot-candle is the luminance cast on a 1-foot square surface by 1 lumen (originally defined as the light of one common
candle).
EV supply equipment that utilizes vacuum florescent display screens offer readable
messaging under almost any lighting condition, including bright sunlight. However,
some charging station screen types cannot easily be read in direct sunlight and should
be shaded or sited such that they are facing away from direct sunlight.
4.7 SIGNAGE
To help the public, signs need to be well located, recognizable, and readable. Federal
and local standards seek clarity and uniformity in use
of words, symbols and colors. Almost all signs follow
the rule of “one concept per sign.”
Black/White: Regulatory
The MUTCD has a standard sign for identifying EV charging stations. In 2011, the Federal
Highways Administration agreed to an interim alternate to that standard and will grant
jurisdictions approval to use it upon written request. A state may request approval to
use the alternate symbol for all jurisdictions in that state.13
MUTCD standard EV
charging station symbol
Way finding signs that direct drivers to EV charging stations are best placed where they
are easily seen but will not cause safety issues by blocking an important view or
creating a hazardous barrier.
Signage at a charging station helps identify parking stalls associated with EV charging
and inform persons about the rules associated with parking there. Signs inform drivers on
topics such as identification of EV charging stations, parking restrictions, and
12 FHWA. (2009). Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways 2009 Edition.
13 Lindley, Jeffrey A. (2011, April). MUTCD – Interim Approval for Optional Use of an Alternative Electric Vehicle Charging
General Service Symbol Sign. FHWA Memorandum to Federal Lands Highway Division Engineers and Division Administrators.
Signs from left to right: (1) Identifies EV charging station; (2) EV permit required; (3) restricts parking space to EVs only
(middle and right photos courtesy of Greater Long Island Clean Cities Coalition)
Directional sign in parking garage (Photo courtesy of Greater Long Island Clean Cities Coalition)
The following section builds upon best practices from installations across the U.S. to
provide sample layouts of EV charging stations. These designs, which use national
standards, are available to be adapted to local specifications. Layouts that are
accessible for persons with disabilities will be noted.
The van-accessible charging station has wheelchair access to the front and sides of the
vehicle. An accessible ramp leads to the sidewalk. The EV supply equipment is oriented
sideways in front of the parking stall to facilitate use by a person in a wheelchair.
Circular turnaround space for a wheelchair is indicated on both sides of the EV supply
equipment.
Site Design for Electric Vehicle Charging Stations offers context for how to design EV
charging stations in a variety of parking facility types. It provides background on the
underlying parking facility design and function. Additionally, it demonstrates how to
create convenient and safe charging stations.
Every charging station design will offer a different set of issues. The design templates
shown in Section 5 provide examples that can be adapted to address a range of
physical conditions.
For further information regarding this report and access to other information on siting
and designing charging stations, visit www.sustainabletransportationstrategies.com or
contact David Mayfield at 503-701-0142.